Musicians Share Stories in New “Chicken Soup For The Soul” Book; Share Yours & Win a Copy!
Musicians love to say that every song tells a story, but they are usually tight-lipped about the story behind the song. Was it really scribbled on a napkin? What love interest was the real inspiration? If we knew the real story behind our favorite songs, would we ever listen to them the same way again?
Chicken Soup for the Soul® has partnered with veteran Hollywood publicist, talent manager and celebrity booker Jo-Ann Geffen for the first all celebrity book from the top selling brand. Geffen peels back the curtain on 101 songs, songwriters and artists with the upcoming release of Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Story Behind the Song (Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, November 10, 2009, 978-1-935096-40-5, $14.95). Jo-Ann Geffen is credited as editor along with Chicken Soup for the Soul co-founders Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. The foreword is by Lamont Dozier, who is credited as an architect of the Motown sound.
The book reflects on many of our favorite songs that trace our lives through music from rap trendsetter Kanye West to Top 40 hit-makers Richie Sambora, Christina Aguilera, Melissa Etheridge, John Legend, the Backstreet Boys’ Howie Dorough, and Jewel, classic rock performer/songwriters like Chicago’s Robert Lamm, and Foreigner’s Mick Jones, Daryl Hall and John Oates, alternative rockers Aaron Lewis of Staind to Corey Taylor of Slipknot and legendary punk rock hits such as Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” and Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains reflecting on his father’s tour in Vietnam and its aftermath in “Rooster, pop classics like those of Barry Manilow, Hal David, Diane Warren and Paul Anka who re-tells his history with Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, R&B songmasters such as Nathan Morris for the Boyz II Men/Mariah Carey hit “One Sweet Day”, Walter Orange of the Commodores, Smokey Robinson, Earth Wind and Fire’s Philip Bailey, and country hits from Tracy Lawrence, .Ray Stevens, Pam Tillis.
Some bring laughter, others bring tears, but all are insightful and great reading for music fans, aficionados or people who just like a good story. Each of the tales is accompanied by a photo and the lyrics for the song that is discussed.
For more information visit: www.chickensoup.com.
WIN A COPY of The Story Behind The Song!!!
Reply to this post with a comment talking about your favorite song and the memory that stands out when you listen to it. Make sure to include your e-mail address (which will be kept private and used for us to get in contact with you). 3 winners will be chosen to receive a copy of Chicken Soup For The Soul: The Story Behind The Song courtesy of Plan A Media. Deadline is January 3, 2010.
My favorite song is Rooster by the Seattle hard rock band, Alice in Chains. It is a song that is close to my heart because it was originally written as a tribute kind of a song to the father of a musician who had served in Vietnam during the war. My own father also served a tour in the army at that time. As I watched the video for this song with my father I was touched immensely to see his reaction.
One of my favorite songs that has a memory with it is The Way We Were sung by Barbara Streisand. This song is so significant to me because it’s the song that plays on a music box my mother gave me for Christmas, 8 months before she died. I don’t know if she chose this music box because of the song, but to me it seems she did because it describes my relationship with her so well. I was young when she died therefore all I have of her are…
“Memries,
Like the corners of my mind
Misty water-colored memories
Of the way we were
Scattered pictures,
Of the smiles we left behind
Smiles we gave to one another
For the way we were
Can it be that it was all so simple then?
Or has time re-written every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again
Tell me, would we? could we?
Memries, may be beautiful and yet
What’s too painful to remember
We simply choose to forget
So it’s the laughter
We will remember
Whenever we remember…
The way we were…
The way we were…”
My favorite song is Never Gone by the Backstreet Boys. It reminds me of my grandma who passed away a year and a half ago and she is truly never gone in my heart.